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Arabella Figg
Mrs. Arabella Doreen Figg was a Squib, a dealer of cross-bred cats and kneazles[1], and a member of the Order of the Phoenix. She lived on Wisteria Walk in Little Whinging, in a house that smelled strongly of cabbage; she also owned and extensively photographed at least four part-kneazle cats, named Mr. Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws and Tufty[2]. She lived near Harry Potter and the Dursley family, and used to babysit Harry in the 1980s and the early 1990s, mainly to keep an eye on him for Albus Dumbledore. As Dumbledore had believed Harry was too young to understand his place in the wizarding world, Mrs. Figg kept her true identity a secret throughout most of Harry's childhood, and he knew nothing about her affiliation to the wizarding world until after he and Dudley Dursley were attacked by dementors in 1995. Mrs. Figg supported the Order to the best of her abilities, but probably did not fight at the Battle of Hogwarts. She most likely survived the war and continued cross-breeding and trading part-kneazle cats Biographyhttp://harrypotter.wikia.com/index.php?title=Arabella_Figg&action=edit&section=1Edit First Wizarding Warhttp://harrypotter.wikia.com/index.php?title=Arabella_Figg&action=edit&section=2Edit It is possible that she became a member of the Order of the Phoenix in the First Wizarding War, although her most notable contribution to the cause was taking up residence in Little Whinging, most probably on Albus Dumbledore's orders, to keep an eye on young Harry Potter. This may have begun prior to the end of the First War, initially in order to watch over the Dursley family. Between the warshttp://harrypotter.wikia.com/index.php?title=Arabella_Figg&action=edit&section=3Edit Arabella Figg lived in a Muggle community, working undercover for the Order of the Phoenix. Most of her job involved watching Harry Potter and ensuring that no harm came to him from Lord Voldemort. During times when the Dursley family took vacations, they left Harry Potter with Mrs. Figg, who once gave him an ancient chocolate cake as a "treat," but most often bored him senseless with pictures of her part-kneazle cats[2]. She made sure he didn't particularly enjoy his time with her, and took care never to reveal her heritage to either Harry or the Dursleys, to ensure that the Dursleys would not withdraw Harry from her care[3]. Second Wizarding Warhttp://harrypotter.wikia.com/index.php?title=Arabella_Figg&action=edit&section=4Edit Dementors in Little Whinginghttp://harrypotter.wikia.com/index.php?title=Arabella_Figg&action=edit&section=5Edit In 1995, Harry and his cousin Dudley were attacked by dementors in Little Whinging. Figg sensed the distinct presence of the Dementors and despite, as a Squib, being unable to actually see them, she was still able to describe the Dementors in front of the Wizengamot during Harry's trial. Not trusting Mundungus Fletcher to effectively fulfill his duties of following and protecting Harry, she charged Mr. Tibbles with the task[3], and upon discovering Mundungus had abandoned his post, she eventually tracked Harry and his cousin Dudley down herself, to discover they had just barely survived a dementor attack. As the three walked back to the Dursleys, with Harry half carrying Dudley, she revealed that she was not a Muggle, as previously believed, but a Squib, and moreover, a member of the Order of the Phoenix. Before returning Harry to Privet Drive, she apologised for the way she had been forced to treat him while he was growing up[3]. Harry Potter's trialhttp://harrypotter.wikia.com/index.php?title=Arabella_Figg&action=edit&section=6Edit Mrs. Figg was also a witness at Harry's trial before the Wizengamot, regarding his unauthorised use of magic as an underaged wizard. She arrived in her bedroom slippers, and her description of the Dementors was unimpressive, as she described them as "big and wearing cloaks." However, she ultimately managed to convince Amelia Bones and various other unbiased members of the Wizengamot with her accurate description of a Dementor's presence. Despite Cornelius Fudge's attempts to discredit her on the basis of being a Squib, Mrs. Figg, along with Albus Dumbledore, managed to persuade the Ministry to clear Harry of all charges[3]. Albus Dumbledore's funeralhttp://harrypotter.wikia.com/index.php?title=Arabella_Figg&action=edit&section=7Edit During the Battle of the Astronomy Tower in 1997, Albus Dumbledore was killed by Severus Snape, who sided with the Death Eaters. Figg attended Dumbledore's funeral in 1997, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry[4]. Battle of Hogwartshttp://harrypotter.wikia.com/index.php?title=Arabella_Figg&action=edit&section=8Edit As she could not fight due to her lack of magic, it is unknown if she participated in the Battle of Hogwarts, though she may have assisted fighters in some non-magical capacity. Later Lifehttp://harrypotter.wikia.com/index.php?title=Arabella_Figg&action=edit&section=9Edit It is most likely that she survived the Second Wizarding War, and maintained her involvement in the "roaring trade" of cross-bred kneazles and cats. Physical Appearancehttp://harrypotter.wikia.com/index.php?title=Arabella_Figg&action=edit&section=10Edit Arabella Figg is described as a batty old woman with grizzled grey fly away hair, wearing a hairnet and tartan carpet slippers[3]. Personality and traitshttp://harrypotter.wikia.com/index.php?title=Arabella_Figg&action=edit&section=11Edit In Harry Potter's youth, the Dursleys left him in Mrs. Figg's care at least once a year[5], and during their time together, she given to making him look endlessly at photos of "all the cats she'd ever owned"[2]. In 1995, she admitted that, though she didn't enjoy it, she had intentionally kept Harry bored and miserable, as the Dursleys would never have left him with her if they thought he enjoyed it. Though Harry only thought of her as his "his batty old cat-obsessed neighbour"[3]before discovering she was a Squib, she appeared to be a clever woman with a bit of a temper. She physically attacked Mundungus Fletcher when he left his post of watching Harry Potter, and prior to that, had been quite sarcastic, even slightly insulting, during her conversation with Harry. She appeared nervous, even timid, during Harry's disciplinary hearing, though that was likely due to the stigma surrounding being a Squib, as well as the fact that she had to testify before the entire Wizengamot. Regardless, she was a brave, vigorous woman, who, despite her lack of magical ability, did her best to support the Order of the Phoenix. Relationshipshttp://harrypotter.wikia.com/index.php?title=Arabella_Figg&action=edit&section=12Edit Albus Dumbledorehttp://harrypotter.wikia.com/index.php?title=Arabella_Figg&action=edit&section=13Edit Arabella Figg knew Albus Dumbledore at least since the time of the First Wizarding War. After Lord Voldemort's first downfall, Dumbledore trusted Figg with the task of watching Harry Potter during his time at the Dursleys' house. Figg appeared to respect Dumbledore and consider him a great wizard; when Harry was surprised that she knew Dumbledore, she replied that "everybody knows Dumbledore." Figg and Dumbledore both participated in Harry's trial before the Wizengamot in 1995 [3]. She later attended Dumbledore's funeral[4] at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in 1997. Category:Characters